For Holy Week 2022, we felt called to explore restorative reinterpretations of familiar Easter stories. These renditions are intended to inspire thoughtful consideration and action in support of marginalized communities engaged in the hallowed work of transformative action and righteous unrest.
Join us for Palm Sunday as Channing reads her poem, "Jesus Said Hello," and consider joining us in donating to The Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project to invest in a future of safety, protection, and celebration for arrivals of all kinds.
Jesus Said Hello
I mean, I think that’s what he’d say
upon arrival To Jerusalem.
I wasn’t there, so I can’t be sure,
But I feel confident all the same.
People say that Jesus said a lot of things.
We weren’t there, so we can’t be sure.
But based on what we think we know,
We usually feel pretty confident all the same.
what I do know
Is that Jesus arrived to a big city
After traveling a long way through the desert.
He arrived on a donkey,
his path honored with
Palm leaves.
And I can’t help but wonder
How the story might be different
Might be the same
If it were to happen
In a different time and a different place
Perhaps on A sunny sunday afternoon
In a desert somewhere
Welcomed by a path of barbed wire
And the raucous demands of border patrol guards
Who give commands
And take everything else:
Belongings. Dignity. Children.
Some might say,
Well yes, Jesus crossed
But Judas came too
and he was a bad dude.
And my point is
That Jesus loved Judas too.
What I do know is
every arrival
Coming on the run from a shark’s mouth
Deserves colorful banners heavy with welcome,
Fresh water and hot elote.
What I do know is
everyday in border towns
The sun rises on a morning like Palm Sunday:
Day of promise.
New Beginnings.
What I do know is
Jesus said, Come, Follow Me
And spread miracles and messages of love
Across time
Across place
Across borders
...
Immigration continues to be a controversial topic in the United States, especially in states on the US/Mexico border; meanwhile people seeking asylum are met not with celebration and protection, but disdain. Families are separated, children from mothers and fathers, who face likely deportation with no promise or timetable of reunification.
As we turn toward action to change zero tolerance immigration policies, we look to organizations such as The Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, which provides free legal and social services to detained adults and children under the threat of deportation.
Please consider joining us in taking action toward a radical investment in a future of joyful, safe, and celebratory immigration this Easter season with a donation to The Florence Project.
